Overview
‘Can Do’ is a national initiative, funded through the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing as part of the National Comorbidity Initiative. The initiative promotes a ‘can do’ approach to General Practice to meet the challenge of mental health and substance use and focuses on education, training and networking between two multi-disciplinary teams of health professionals, namely:
- General Practice Teams
- Community Health Teams (especially those engaged in alcohol, drug and mental health service delivery as well as community pharmacy)
Objectives
The ‘Can Do’ initiative aims to improve the capacity of General Practice and Divisions to recognize and effectively respond to mental health and substance use in their community through:
- The implementation of structured education and training focused on multi-disciplinary team approaches and covering the coordination of care, assessment, treatment and referral for service users who present with mental health and substance use conditions.
- The adaptation, dissemination and uptake of accredited resources and materials that enhance General Practice understanding of co-existing mental health and substance use conditions.
Program Detail
The ‘Can Do’ Initiative offers two types of training modules:
- ‘Teams of Two’ Network Modules. These training modules focus on professional networking, peer learning and multi-disciplinary team work in the local context using case discussions to address and map access, treatment, referral and review pathways for people with complex mental and drug health needs. The pilot phase of the ‘Can Do’ Initiative saw the release of the six original modules. The second phase of the Initiative (which focused on Veterans) saw the revamping of these six original modules, so that they addressed a Veteran population. The beginning on 2008 saw the release of a new suite of modules with different topics. All modules are still available, and can be downloaded here. The ‘Teams of Two’ Networking Modules are two-hour modules (unless otherwise stated):
- Alcohol and depression (Original Module)
- Benzodiazepines and anxiety (Original Module)
- Cannabis, mental health and young people (Original Module)
- Amphetamines and psychosis (Original Module)
- Drugs, pain and opioid dependence (Original Module)
- Drugs, sexual health and pregnancy (Original Module)
- Alcohol and depression (Phase 2 – Veteran Focus)
- Benzodiazepines and anxiety (Phase 2 – Veteran Focus)
- Cannabis, mental health and young people (Phase 2 – Veteran Focus)
- Amphetamines and psychosis (Phase 2 – Veteran Focus)
- Drugs, pain and opiod dependence (Phase 2 – Veteran Focus)
- Drugs, sexual health and pregnancy (Phase 2 – Veteran Focus)
- Young People, Families and Carers (Phase 3 – six-hour module)
- Familles and Carers (Phase 3 – new for 2008)
- Older People (Phase 3 – new for 2008)
- Indigenous (Phase 3 – new for 2008)
- Men in Rural Areas (Phase 3 – new for 2008)
- Young Mothers (Phase 3 – new for 2008)
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (Phase 3 – new for 2008)
- Clinical Education Modules. The six-hour clinical education module provides comprehensive education and training in the recognition, management and review of service users presenting with co occurring mental health and substance use disorders. The module is primarily written for delivery to General Practitioners and other health professionals engaged in clinical practice in the fields of drug and alcohol, mental health and pharmacy. Participants in this module are taken through assessment, history taking, epidemiology and discussions of common co-occurring disorders followed by units addressing a range of substance use and mental health disorders. A focus is placed on case discussion, care planning and multi-disciplinary teamwork. Two clinical education modules are available, the core module released during the pilot phase, and the version amended to suit a Veteran population (Veteran-specific case studies are substituted into the materials).
Achievements
The ‘Can Do’ Initiative has proved to be very successful in QLD. Nearly all QLD Divisions have delivered either the Clinical Education Module, or a number of Teams of Two Modules, attracting not only their GPs, but also psychiatrists, public and private allied health professionals, drug and alcohol specialists, pharmacists, non-Government organisations, consumers, carers and a range of Division staff.The beginning of 2008 saw the launch of the third phase of the ‘Can Do’ Initiative, as well as a new suite of topics to deliver. This meant than a number of QLD Divisions have opted to deliver modules again this year.
Resources
- National ‘Can Do’ Initiative website.
- AGPN’s Primary Mental Health Care Website
- The National ‘Can Do’ Initiative website
Further Information
Please contact:Paul Daly, Comorbidity Coordinator at pdaly@gpqld.com.au.